"This is Pookey!" Ah Jing proudly showed off her hippopotamus. The group of five cultivators continued their journey towards the fractured realm, mindful to not let the noble lead. The had left the city behind after a pleasant afternoon and were now introducing their spirt pets to the outsider in the group.
"Dis is my widdle spirt vine. Is it not the most adorable creature to ever exist!?" This was the first time the noble could recall that the taller blond lady spoke human words.
"What is a spirt vine?" Lady Lockheed had racked her mind, but she had never heard of spirt vine as a spirt beast.
"This is a venomous withered fur cat vine! It's a special mutation that's one in a million making it lose its acidic nature and feeding habits for fuzz-based photosynthesis. What's left is a furry tentacle plant that has fifteen types of adorable!" The smile was slightly creepy and the plant thing that roosted on the tall blond' s head waved at her.
She was a cat person that was all Valentine could understand.
"You know macaw here, it's a highland mountain rainbow macaw, it's been with me since I was three. I also hold a grand sky eagle that is perching on that tree up." The macaw appeared to be way friendlier than the eagle, but it came down when called and accepted rodents from the nascent soul cultivator.
"Saving my grace and good looks for last, this is the bear pair." From a specially designed belt two bears crawled out of nowhere. They weighed in at just over a ton for the pair, with lushest fur coats, steel claws, soft spotted markings, and cute long noses. As they looked like the animals, she was familiar with from her realm, they were the noble's favorite.
Today was a simple travel day, the beast were out in force as this area was rife with banditry and sect conflicts. As usual the noble well versed in how nothing happens continued to ignore any indication that there would be a problem.
Valentine turned out to be entirety correct, the sects were peaceful and worked together to annihilate any bandit groups that approached. There was a set of strongholds deeper into the forest and mountains filled with a mix of high cultivators and significantly unwashed men and women. It turned out it was an auspicious day to stay home so they quietly wondered for league after league in the direction of the mountain pass.
"So this is the Qi gong pools…"
"I thought we would have to stop in order to clean up, but we don't even have enough clothes do laundry."
"We are also her two days early."
"An ill omen, my beauty must be fading otherwise even low life's would fail to come to see."
Ignoring Hayou and the surprised group of cultivators, the noble was keen to try out the baths. Natural volcanic hot springs existed within the noble realm and were great vacation spots but the heir never had a reason to take one herself. Iris loved baths and talked about taking her to some of the more famous ones someday. At the time the noble cared less, treating it as babbling from the crazy maid she hired. Now, she wasn't sure she could even set foot in the bath with the maid that set her heart aflutter.
Grand sage actually, top ten cultivator in the martial realm, cutest butt…
Somehow the longer Valentine spent away from noble life style the more she felt that she was becoming a pervert.
Perhaps that wouldn't be held against her, her maid had harassed her constantly in her tenure as a servant of the duchy. First and foremost would be to elevate her status, she stands above everyone in the noble realm without equal.
"Well let's take the day than, we leave at first light tomorrow." Dismissing them Tang Ran was unsure of what he should make of the strange state of affairs. Ah Jing out right sprinted away, racing, Hayou for the first to be in the hot springs. Both were disappointed.
Lady Valentine expecting the lack of conflict had without pause registered, received her room and was ready to enter the springs when they arrived. Martial realm culture regarding baths were complex, more so if they were targeted for cultivators who could channel qi. Those who simply wanted to relax in hot springs had much simpler culture, cleanses oneself before entering the springs proper.
In the past everyone bathed naked and together without regard for men, women, family or clan, now though baths were segregated by gender and most had privet baths for those who wished them. Hayou would later fall in a voyeurism attempt after hearing the waxing poetic tales that Ah Jing told of this bath.
They were early in the day and as such there was no one else present. After leaving her clothes in one of the soft wooden baskets, noble lady took the small basket and bucket that held the local soaps and oils, plus a fifty-year reed towel. Most products aimed at cultivators were made from ingredients that lived incredible lengths of time. Noble had a comical image of a towel cross legged surrounded by aura and a harem of female towel beauties.
Chuckling lightly, she entered the bath proper. Her towel covered the important bits, but it wasn't something one could do while they scrubbed themselves clean. Five years was a long time to still be bound by the narrow views of her own realm. Modesty in all one did, never disrobe amongst equals, only lesser, perfect show no openings.
Hanging the towel on a nearby hook, several dark reassess were formed in the speckled stone wall. Plumbing and water transfer might be behind in this realm, but the aesthetics were rich and no less than the luxury the noble naturally enjoyed. Gently moving her hand against the stone, ice water poured freely from the small opening in stream in front of her. Frosty to mortals, but incredibly refreshing to cultivators. Savoring the water, the noble waited before she cleansed.
Soft sponges of the ten-year reef variety were used to exfoliate and released a soft jasmine from the soap. Suds built on porcelain skin, water sluiced creating waves that contrasted her flawless pale silk with soft shadows. Lathering with oil her tress became limp and obedient as the water clung to them. Hibiscus flowers blossomed on her head as she worked the oil through her hair. Placing the bucket to the spoat, she filled it slowly before gently letting the water wash down her amble chest.
It was this moment that Ah Jing entered the bath.
The stone pool steamed slightly, faint curtains clinging and dancing about the surface. Stone formed several waterfalls. Bamboo and other woods formed intricate patterns, covering key lighting, and letting the natural elegance of the rock speak for itself.
"Who cared about that?" Ah Jing shouted to herself. Watching the water fan out over the tips of her luscious and large breast who could bring themselves to care about how the spring looked. White jade and pale moonstone couldn't compare to the lustrous skin made paler as chilling waters restricted blood flow. Suds sluiced down as her hair ran rivulets down the perfect surface, adding even more contrasting elements to the silken glow. Her eyes that sparked like both jade emeralds and moonlit blades, held in stiff regal features. Martial women tended to be more lithe, so her fuller figure, lined with sharpened clefs of muscle, proportional flawless breast, and overall demeanor was unmatched.
This wasn't a fairy, rather a noble demon immortal present to take one to unmatched depths of pleasurer only a royalty empress could provide. Treated to a second show as the noble emptied another bucket, the short undeveloped women didn't have anything like this. Leaning more forward, her side abdominals rippled softly, her taunt calves and outer thighs, her firm defined chiseled butt, a slow symphony formed as she stood and took her towel.
Standing taller than most women, with long legs and regality that the golden orb beast tamer had never seen before Ah Jinn was left with one thought as the noble gracefully stepped into the hot spring.
'Oh, so her hair is really naturally that color, a natural red head.'
!@# !@# !@#
Iris had chosen not to stick around the mansion all the time like her counterpart, today was a day trip to the Magtromso, the first garden to be established in the country. Her cultivation base was nowhere near where she needed it to be. The pureness of this world's qi was both a blessing and a curse. Without need for refinement, the volume of energy was incredible, however processing it within her body was incredibly taxing and demanding. Even more so, only small motes of it existed in most places and her need and demand was more than the local area could bear.
Hence a day trip to the royal gardens. There was bound to be some treasures in this place, anywhere the old gathered was a potential vault. Rather than sneak in she simply walked in with two knights and another maid she didn't know the names of. Dukes had privileges, include in that was a cultivator disguised as heir.
The gardens were a testament to disproportionate wealth. Rocks with soft flowering vines creeped endlessly about artfully arranged sculptures. Water fountains naturally existed, and even the irrigation channels were artfully decorated with mosaics. Arches were popular all with similar decretive stonework. Flowers of all types and species formed sprawling paths across a field larger than any training space she had been on in the martial realm.
While pretty the cultivator wasn't that interested in touring the place. Traveling along the guide walls, she followed the ones that had progressively more wrought iron tips. It wasn't long before she found a small gatehouse that was actively guarded. Retreating slightly out of sight, she ducked up to the wall before vaulting backwards like a poll vaulter over the fence.
Right onto a pretty blond bombshell.
As a mass of muscle instead of starved noble trying to fit into a ball gown, the sage flattened the women she fell on. It took a handful of seconds for every guard and knight in the vicinity to converge.
"Does the ungracious oaf have any intention of removing their elbows from my lower spine?" Unlike her most constant noble companion the women beneath Iris was clearly haughty and pretentious.
"To get up ill have to step on you, not a problem, right?"
"You dare to stand on this princess?! Quartered! Drawn! Racks and racks and hot pokers!" Increasingly agitated, the armored swarm moved in to remove the sage who set herself on her feet. In the exact reverse of what she had done to arrive on this side, the martial sage vaulted back over the fence.
Plus one acquired.
It wouldn't take the steel wall of men long to wrap around and nab the two, so the sage sprinted away. Unlike the clucky pursers, the sage was a master of numerous movement arts, from lightness skills to advance qi driven abilities. Much to the confusion of those chasing, the sage hopped from lily pad to lily pad. Used the arch ways and walls as foot holds, and generally danced across the convoluted gardens.
"I will not stand for this!" Extraditing herself from the arms of the sage, the girl manages to see the flat surface of the water farther than it ought to be away before she resumed clinging to her captor.
"I won't drop you so settle down until I can find someplace quiet." This seemed to be enough to allow the girl she was clutching to calm enough to let the sage find a spot to hide away. The gardens, excluding the enclosed areas for specific nobles and families, protruded for hundreds of acres. It was not limited to just flowers, trees and other habitats exist, finding a far-flung conservatory, the sage dragged her prisoner inward.
Unlike the closer spaces, this one was disused. Those who left it did do a decent job of preparing for its abandonment, signaling that there was probably intent to use again. Other than some dirt and signs of neglect the table and chairs were more than enough for the sage. Gesturing to be seated the sage let the women free.
Blue eyes were exceptionally rare in the martial realm, but did show up as generations of practitioners imparted elemental qi into their bodies. Her own eyes would change colors as she wielded her essence flames to their full potential. Hair dyes existed but were uncommon as heritage and respect for what was given by their ancestors was considered more important.
Deep eyes with the same edged features she had come to associate with high nobility, brilliant sun-soaked hair. Her gown we magnitudes of complex lace and embroidery, accented by some leaves and grass courtesy of rainbow airlines. Long model like curves, though it was lacking something the sage felt, her hips were a bit narrower, her chest was more propped than natural, and her features didn't hold a certain softness that she was used to in Lady Valentine.
"You expect to live after all this, arrogant enough to ask me to sit in these filthy chairs? I am Anastasia Charles Evens Elizabeth Asserik!"